Lily
Song- Got You On My Mind, NF
We take the private elevator to the penthouse in complete silence, Drago holding both of our bags like they weigh nothing at all. One slung over his shoulder, the other in his hand.
I watch the numbers climb on the screen, each floor ticking by too slowly. I can feel his attention on me without looking. It presses into the side of my head, like he’s cataloging every breath I take.
The tension in the air is thick, coiled tight between us, like we’re both hanging on by a thread that could snap if either of us moves wrong.
When the doors ping open, I step forward instinctively, but his hand catches my waist. The contact is immediate and electric. He leans in, his breath warm against my cheek.
“You stay here while I make sure it’s safe for you,” he whispers.
What about him? Does he ever look out for himself? Or does he have someone who actually looks out for him?
He drops the bags beside the couch and unholsters his gun, moving with lethal efficiency as he checks the space room by room. I lose sight of him for a moment, my pulse loud in my ears, before he returns and gives a single nod.
“All clear.”
“Are you always this cautious?” I ask as I finally step out of the elevator, taking in the room.
It’s breathtaking. Floor-to-ceiling windows spill sunlight across marble floors, the sea stretching endlessly beyond them. Chandeliers glint overhead, throwing fractured light across the space like it’s alive.
“It’s why I’m still alive, Lily,” he says, gesturing for me to come to him.
My feet move before my brain catches up.
“Let me give you a tour.”
Disappointment flickers through me. A foolish part of me had hoped he might act on this thing between us, this insane, volatile chemistry that refuses to settle.
But he doesn’t.
“These windows all have bulletproof shutters,” he says as we move through the kitchen. “I’ll make sure they’re down every night.”
I nod, trailing after him as he opens the first bedroom door.
“This one is for you.”
“Where’s yours?” I ask.
“Next to yours.” A flicker of a smile touches his mouth, gone almost before I can be sure it was real.
He gestures down the corridor. “And that room is a panic room.”
My gaze fixes on the black door at the end of the hall.
“I’ve programmed it to your birthday. There’s a phone inside that connects directly to Enzo if you need it. The rule is simple: if you go in there, you don’t come out. Not even if I’m on the other side of the door telling you to.”
I frown, unease curling in my stomach. “Why wouldn’t I listen to you?”
He scrubs a hand over his stubble, jaw tight. “Imagine someone has a gun to my head and tells me to order you out. I might do it to buy time. I would never give you up, Lily. I know the code. I’d come get you when it’s safe. Anyone working with me would do the same. It’s the same as the one I have in my own home. I’ll show you that when we go home. Just no matter what, once you go in there, you don’t come out.”
I spin the rings on my fingers, grounding myself. This whole thing sounds like hell. “Let me get this clear… You would rather have a gun to your head, and potentially have your brains blown out, than give me to the enemy? Like seriously? Wouldn’t most men just give me up to save themselves? You don’t know me, Drago. I’m not worth dying over.”
My breath hitches as I try to settle my emotions. My whole life, I’ve never felt wanted, been brushed aside. But this? This feels dangerously close to someone putting me first. That actually cares about me.
He sucks in a breath and steps toward me, closing the distance until my heart is pounding so hard I’m sure he can hear it.
